Shop for or donate clothes, furniture, electronics, toys, or other items at the new non-profit Durand Thrift Store, employing adults with special needs.  Brand name clothing and never-used, still tagged items are available at 549 North Evergreen Avenue in Woodbury, New Jersey, in the Evergreen Square Shopping Center.  The store is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 to 4 and Saturdays 9 to 3.  Donations may be dropped off or picked up, by calling the store at 856-845-8913.  Durand provides receipts for tax purchases for all charitable donations.
  Open since October, the Durand Thrift Store is doing a brisk business and still has many bargains available, including clothing from Gap, Chicos, JJill, Gymboree, Children’s Place, Abercrombie and Aeropostale.
  The store is managed by personnel with the non-profit Durand Academy & Community Services at which 15 special needs adults with disabilities ranging from Down’s Syndrome to Autism, assist as part of Durand’s day program. These adult day center clients sort through donations, unpack boxes and assist in donation pick-ups. Extensive back-room space allows adults to eat lunch, relax and socialize when they aren’t working.
  According to Susan Sedlack Durand’s Adult Training Services Coordinator, the store developed when the number of new special need adult clients from the Gloucester County area grew. Durand’s original and still existing adult day program at its Mount Laurel headquarters currently consists of twenty special needs adults who produce Scentsations, a bath and body line of products, now sold at the store. They also deliver Meals on Wheels (with Durand staff driving) and perform other community services. 
  “When I began working at Durand 2 ½ years ago, our adult program had 19 clients. We now have 35,” Sedlack said. Fifteen clients work at the store and 20 work in Mount Laurel.
  Durand transports all of the clients from their homes or providers’ homes and drives them to either the Mount Laurel location or the thrift shop in Woodbury, based upon where they live. “Our clients love seeing that the products they create and the items they unpack sell in the store,” said Sedlack. “It provides a wonderful sense of accomplishment. The funds raised go back into our organizations’ services. It’s truly a win-win for all.”
 
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  The non-profit Durand Academy and Community Services has been devoted to serving children and adults with special needs and their families throughout South Jersey since 1972. They have a K-8 school, Durand Academy, in Woodbury near the Thrift Store, group homes throughout South Jersey, in addition to the vocational day program. They also offer respite services for families, workshops for parents and more. For further information call 856-235-3540.